In this age of international commerce and global markets it is sometimes difficult to assess the financial stability of your overseas partner, supplier or customer. The distances involved often make visiting their office, plant or retail outlet an impossibility or, at the minimum highly impractical, and differences created by language, custom and culture further complicate [...]

Economic Crisis of 2010: Banker Beware

Economic crisis almost always  results in regulatory change. This was the lesson learned from the Thrift debacle if the early 1990s.  Further we the banking industry has experienced an over-abundance of regulatory change as a result of the current economic crisis.  But what is often overlooked is the effect [...]

Today, famed international barrister and American trial lawyer Nick Critelli revealed the key to his courtroom success.  Speaking to a group of  Iowa lawyers gathered for the 2010 Annual Meeting of the Iowa State Bar Association at the Marriott Hotel in Des Moines, Critelli  stunned the audience by his candid admission.
“I have a keen  sense [...]

As the world continues to get smaller and international travel more common, areas of the law once thought to be of primarily local jurisdiction are now turning out to have international complications. Nowhere is this more evident then in the area of family law.
Marriages between citizens of differing countries can be extremely beneficial and worthwhile, [...]

Claims for civil fraud and deceit have always presented a challenge to lawyers. Historically, of all the torts it has been the most difficult to prove. The problem has been a three hundred old pesky legal element called “scienter”. Now, thanks to twenty first century technology of data mining and predictive analysis scienter has been [...]

Thanks in large part to the Internet, more US-based businesses are getting involved in international transactions than ever before. While there are certainly many benefits to such transactions, there are also detriments. Key among them is what happens when the US-based company fails to pay its bill. Whilst bringing a lawsuit against the US-based company [...]

Homeowners in the midst of foreclosure proceedings are giving new life to the “best evidence” rule. If it’s been a while since you’ve uttered that phrase, we’ve posted a quick primer.

Ever wonder where the term Ponzi Scheme came from? Meet Mr. Charles Ponzi.  Mr. Ponzi came to America from Italy around 1903. Unfortunately he is famous not for what he did for America but what he did to it. Ponzi was the only person in America to have a crime named after him. In the [...]

Unlike the British legal profession with two distinct divisions, solicitor and barrister, the American legal profession is “fused.” In reality, no one lawyer can know all there is to know about the law or possesses skills and talents in all areas of practice. American lawyers are quick to recognize the necessity to “bring in an [...]

June 17, 2005
To the Honorable Justices and Judges of the Courts of Iowa:
The President of the Iowa State Bar Association’s Report to the Courts
A learned society, a guild, a general council; what exactly is the The Iowa State Bar Association? One thing it is not… it is not a trade association, for, if it were, [...]